Under the Dome - Awakening - Review: "Pointless Stalling"

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Previous Episode: 2.07 Going Home

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2.08 "Awakening"
(Directed by Jack Bender, written by Andres Fischer-Centeno and Daniel Truly)
Rating: 5.5/10 (C-)

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Next Episode: 2.09 Red Door

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Just when you think it might start to look up for Under the Dome, it reverts to its usual shenanigans, nonsensical plotting and slow pacing, even though it proved last week it is capable of putting out a somewhat decent episode.

There’s a new sheriff in town and it’s none other than Big Jim himself. He tries to atone for his past actions by handing out walkie-talkies as a new “safety-measure”. He even apologizes to Rebecca, blaming his break-in and threat on his overzealous nature. I guess that’s one way to put it; Maybe try something more accurate like narcissistic and self-righteous next time. But of course, this is Chester’s Mill. Nobody truly stays mad at anybody for anything, so naturally she gives him a second chance.

Now that part of the show is set outside the dome, everything that happens inside of it seems even more inane and frivolous. Rebecca finds the windmill that was used to stop the dust storm destroyed - how do you even destroy something so big without getting caught? - in front of the diner and one of Big Jim’s car is set on fire (I keep forgetting he used to be a mere car salesman) which leads him to think that someone is out for him.
After compiling a list of potential culprits, it all boils down to Phil being angry at him. So we are led to believe that someone who is recovering from a GSW and is on his best way to become an alcoholic, climbed all the way up a tower to destroy that windmill? This feels like another case-of-the-week that doesn’t have an impact nor does it have much of a point, other than pushing Junior and Rebecca back into Big Jim’s arms. I’m not entirely sure what they are doing with Phil’s character anymore, but then again, I never did.

Outside the dome, Barbie sends an email to Joe and unbeknownst to him, Don adds a part that asks Julia to bring the egg with her. He waits at the playground for her to pop up and upon leaving, he figures out soon he is being tailed. Hunter hacks into Don’s computer to corroborate his story (which by the way is a major continuity error: How could be possibly know Don added the part about the egg?!) and Barbie learns his father knows more than he lets on. His company was the first to find out about the viable WiFi signal into the dome, but kept it to himself for whatever reason. Barbie sends Julia another message telling her to meet him at the dome and with Hunter’s help he sneaks through the National Guard. It could have all worked out if Barbie hadn’t triggered a sensor. His following reunion with Julia is short-lived and Barbie is whisked away before he even has the chance to tell her not to jump down the cliff.

I actually thought that shifting to the outside world can only be a great thing for the show, but following Pauline, Sam and Lyle was rather uninteresting as nothing much happens, at least not much that makes sense. Lyle is still a nutjob who now repeats “It’s in the cards.”, Sam selfishly wants to forget about everything and start over. Just like with Big Jim’s plot this episode, the resolution of Lyle’s psychosis is anticlimactic. There just happens to be an experimental drug in the same hospital and it just so happens to work perfectly on Lyle. This subplot feels futile as it repeatedly mentions what we are already aware of and this entire ordeal could have been skipped by simply having Lyle not go insane and mention the cards. Same results, less tedious storytelling. Also, how come Pauline was so clueless about the cards, given how she was the one who sent them to Lyle in the first place?

The episode felt like it was pointlessly stalling. I understand that some episodes need to be dedicated to putting the pieces in the right place, but with unnecessary subplots, conspicuous inconsistencies and characters going around in circles, ”Awakening” left much to be desired for.

Other thoughts:
- So apparently the traffic lights are still working because.. it’s what the dome wants?
- "That must mean it's safe for you to jump off that cliff." Oh, the writing. It never fails to make me laugh.
- “I met him before anyone.” Yeah, nobody cares about that, Joe.
- Barbie looked like a drunk creep when he tried to kick the ball.
- At the risk of sounding extremely shallow: Could Hunter be any more handsome?
- Doesn’t the town have enough food for months? Why are people trading family heirlooms for food then? Because it’s what the dome wants.
- Back in Season 1, Linda’s car ran out of gas and she hijacked Phil’s. And now everybody’s just casually driving around like it’s nobody’s business.
- Phil still isn’t fully recovered. Hey, here’s an idea: Let’s lock him in a cell, so he can get better.

About the Author - Mark A. Ondo/LittleDreamer

20 y/o Austrian. Music lover, avid TV watcher, cheesecake muncher and pseudo writer. His taste in television is as eclectic as it gets and he dedicates more time to fictional characters than he would like to admit. He currently reviews Under the Dome, writes about various shows in Mark's Remarks and creates Best-Scene Polls for Grey's Anatomy, Once upon a Time, Revenge and Scandal.

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